Nerds don’t care that cool kids like them at last

The age of the geek is upon us. With the “Brian Cox effect” driving up the numbers studying maths and physics and a new Star Trek film grossing more than double anything seen by its rivals over its opening weekend, science has rarely been more at home in popular culture.

But Dara O’Briain, the comedian and presenter of Stargazing Live, is a bit fed up. “I for one am not really arsed about getting the cool kids involved [in science],” he said in an interview at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival, where he has been a guest director. “I’m happy to go for the nerds.”

A new wave of science celebrities are focusing on keeping an increasingly wide and discerning base of viewers